New cervical cancer test offers hope to more than 10,000 unscreened women in St Helens

Harriet Clugston

A new urine test for cervical cancer could be “game-changing” for the more than 10,000 women in St Helens who missed their last smear test.

Researchers from the University of Manchester have found that urine samples could be as effective at detecting the cancer-causing HPV virus as current cervical screening tests.

Charities say advancements towards a less intrusive examination could be an important move to address the embarrassment and fear that often holds women back from getting tested.

In St Helens, the uptake rate for cervical screenings has fallen over the last year.

Only 73.6% of the 45,900 women who were due a smear test before the end of March 2018 attended an appointment, according to the latest figures from NHS Digital.

This means around 12,130 women missed out on the "life-saving" programme.

Women aged between 25 and 49 are invited for a screening every three years, while those aged 50 to 64 attend every five years.

Currently, cervical screening requires a test that looks for changes in the cells of the cervix which could develop into cancer.

A small sample of cells is taken from the cervix using a soft brush.

Across England, attendance has fallen for the fourth consecutive year, to 71.4% in 2017-18.

More than 100 women who attended a clinic after abnormal cells were found on their cervix were asked to take part in the latest research, according to the study published in the British Medical Journal.

The results found a urine test was just as good at detecting the HPV virus as cervical smears or vaginal swabs.

Athena Lamnisos, CEO of women's health charity The Eve Appeal, said: "For women living with the impact of FGM, who have suffered sexual abuse, or live with conditions such as vaginismus, screening in a non-invasive way could be game-changing for screening uptake.